Person with diarrhea most likely source of parasite at Athens splash pad

Health, Faith and Blueprint

An infected person with diarrhea who used the East Athens Community Park splash pad earlier this month is the likely source for the recent spread of the parasite Cryptosporidium confirmed to have infected at least 16 children, the Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services Department and the Clarke County Health Department determined this week.

According to a statement, the CCHD was alerted Aug. 11 to several cases of children falling ill after attending a private party at the splash pad on Aug. 3. As part of its investigation, the health department contacted Leisure Services Aug. 12 for information and took water samples soon after. Water samples were submitted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the next day, and while final CDC test results are not expected until later this week, the health department confirmed samples taken from infected children indicate Cryptosporidium, commonly known as Crypto.

One of the leading causes of recreational water illness, Crypto is spread when people swallow water recently contaminated by an infected person’s fecal matter.

Once the health department determined Crypto as a probable cause, staff at Leisure Services initiated a precautionary disinfectant treatment at the splash pad prior to reopening it to the public. The treatment used more than twice the amount of chlorine shown by CDC studies to eradicate Crypto and was used for a longer period of time than required by the health department, according to ACC Leisure Services Park Services Division Maintenance Supervisor Keith Kirkland.

“When it was brought to our attention the splash pad was already closed because we had started our fall schedule where we are only open on the weekends,” Kirkland said. “We were able to wait until the health department could take water samples and confirm that it was Crypto and then we treated the water as if the incident had just happened.”

All five of Athens-Clarke County’s public pools and both splash pads operate under state-mandated standards for operation, chlorination levels, record-keeping, and water testing procedures. Leisure Services staff — who are certified by the National Swimming Pool Foundation as Certified Pool Operators ­— also test and adjust the chemistry in the pools daily throughout the operating season. According to the statement, all operational standards and disinfectant levels set by Georgia were met or exceeded at the splash pad in the days leading up to and following the infection of the splash pad, but because Crypto has a tough outer shell, it can survive for several days even in properly chlorinated pools.

Although ACC Leisure Services was not alerted to the outbreak until Aug. 12, it’s likely any parasites in the water from Aug. 3 were already eliminated through the normal chlorination processes that takes place at the splash pad each Monday. According to the statement, the health department is not aware of Crypto illnesses beyond Aug. 3 and has not recommended splash pad closures.

Phone calls made to the health department regarding the splash pad and Crypto contamination were not returned as of press time Wednesday.

The statement also revealed that, in an effort to increase safety for patrons, the ACC Leisure Services Department increased the level of normal splash pad chlorine treatments for all Monday maintenance days to a minimum of 40 parts per million. This procedure, while not required under state law or health code, is designed to help further prevent waterborne germs from spreading. Both splash pads continue to open on weekends through the end of September.

“Incidents like this are not completely unheard of,” Kirkland said. “Usually, when something like this happens, we hear about it right away. In this case, we suspect that there was a young child (at the splash pad) and that mom and dad may not have known that the child had diarrhea, so we didn’t have a way of knowing something had potentially contaminated the water.”

“I have no concerns about the water now,” he continued. “We sanitized the water at twice the levels required to eradicate Crypto and I feel that there is no hazard whatsoever right now to the public.”

To prevent Crypto from entering the water in the future, Kirkland said anyone with diarrhea or who recently had diarrhea should not swim in public pools or use public splash pads. Visitors to pools and splash pads also are asked to take regular bathroom breaks, shower before entering the water, and to wash their hands after using the restroom or changing diapers.

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